IANS

Toronto, Jul 20: A Hindu temple that cost $40 million to build, one of the largest initiative of its kind ever undertaken by the Indian Canadian community, is all set to open its gates to the general public.

The Swaminarayan Mandir to be inaugurated on sunday has been completed in 18 months without government funding by craftsmen who used 24,000 hunks of Italian marble and Turkish limestone.

It is also the first Hindu temple in Canada to be built according to ancient Indian Vedic principles. Most of the temple was carved using hammer and chisel by close to 2,000 craftsmen, 100 of them flown from India, the National Post reported.

The local Hindu community offered up about 400 devoted volunteers and footed the bill for much of the temple.

“It gives me a sense of pride, a reputation for first-generation Indian Canadians that we are integral members of this country,” said activity co-ordinator Aarti Patel.

“In addition to Canadian winters, another major hurdle was convincing Toronto officials that the temple, a completely steel-free structure, was sound engineering,” said

Naren Sachdev, project manager of construction.Virtually every inch of the place is embellished with carved deities — cavorting horses, peacocks, elephants, lotus flowers and vines — each representing different Hindu virtues.

“When you do enter the temple, you will see how the whole atmosphere and ambiance creates that atmosphere within oneself,” Sachdev added.